Contacting us for the first time

Even a phone call may be difficult for you at times, and this one especially so, with the significance it carries as a potential turning point in your life. If it feels a bit too much, you’re also very welcome to break the ice with an email where you can tell us as much or as little as you like about yourself, or simply ask us to call you back.

Whether by phone or email, we’ll first ask just a few practical questions so we can match you with the therapist we think is most appropriate – the location you’d prefer to visit for therapy; your broad area of concern (though there’s no need to go into any detail at this stage); and any preferences you may have in terms of gender of your therapist or the style of therapy they practice. Finally we’ll agree a day and time for your first appointment.

First contact with your therapist

We’ll then ask your therapist to give you a quick call so that you can put a voice to the name, and so they can answer any questions you may have about the first session. All being well, your therapist will reconfirm the time of your appointment and run you through the practicalities of arriving on the day.

Arriving for your first session

At both our premises, on Snow Hill and on Wimpole Street, there are separate door bells to each consulting room with a board showing you which room your therapist is working from today. And so when you ring the bell to your therapist's room, a voice you already know will speak to you briefly at the door before buzzing you in.

Please be aware that if you ring the bell a little too early you may be disturbing the session immediately before yours, so it’s best not to arrive until a few minutes before the session itself begins.

Therapy sessions are usually scheduled to last just short of an hour – the ‘therapy hour’ as we call it – with the short break allowing your therapist to make a cup tea, metaphorical or otherwise, and to stretch their legs before the next session begins.

Making you feel at home

It’s important to emphasise that this first session is largely exploratory, a gentle getting-to-know-you for you to feel more comfortable both with your therapist and with the process and aims of therapy itself. There’s absolutely no commitment to a second or third session, and at this or any other time you are always free to decide that therapy isn’t for you after all.

That said, we’re confident that we can soon begin to put you at your ease. Just know that there's absolutely nothing expected of you at this stage, other than to be there, and to allow your therapist to take the first steps towards establishing a productive relationship.

Please also see our article: What to expect in therapy